“Believe it. You’re an amazing baker, Zo. Of course they want your shit.”
She squealed and did a cute little dance before giving me a hug. “Thank you for the push, GG. I needed it in more ways than one.”
“You’re welcome, my love.”
“Ooh, I love the sound of that.”
“You know what I’d love the sound of? You agreeing to bake more of that bread.”
Zoe laughed as she stepped out of my embrace. “If Bianca doesn’t mind the intrusion, I can come in during the couple of hours of her baking in the morning and do a few loaves. Maybe next week I’ll throw in some blueberry muffins too.”
“That would be good,” I agreed. “Just let me know what you need and I’ll get it. Going forward, we can add it to the inventory until you leave.”
“Um, about that—” Her phone vibrating cut off what she was about to say. “Hmm, that’s weird. One sec.”
When she walked away to answer the call, I returned my attention to pulling the empty trays from the display case. Along with pastries, we added soufflés to our breakfast menu, and they were a hit as well. All week they’d been selling out the first hour we were open. For so long, I wanted to keep everything the way Zina had it to honor her memory, but I couldn’t deny how switching up the menu had led to a tremendous increase in sales.
Now that the breakfast rush was over, I went back to my office to take a quick break. If business kept up like this, I felt confident I’d no longer have to pay the staff out of my pocket. Before I made that choice, I wanted to see a steady increase in profit. Maybe around the six-month mark I’d stop. That would give us enough time to fix some things up around here, put some more money into promo and marketing, and still have a bit of cushion for emergencies.
I took the time to check my messages, and the text from Mama amused me. With Zoe’s parents flying in, Mama insisted on cooking them dinner before they left. As much as I told her not to put that pressure on them, on us, she was convinced things between me and Zoe was going to last forever. Let her tell it, she wanted to have dinner with her future in-laws. She’d sent me a list of foods to have Zoe go over for dinner, then told me to give her Zoe’s number so she could talk to her about it herself. As annoyed as I was with Mama’s meddling, I was also gratefulfor it. Had she not urged Zoe to be honest with her parents about what she wanted and needed, they wouldn’t have made progress.
Since that call, she’d been texting both of her parents every day, and she was so excited about their visit. I told her she could stay with me and let them have her room during their stay if she wanted, and she was cool with that. I was looking forward to going to sleep next to her and waking up with her in my arms for three nights straight. So far, she’d only spent two nights back to back. She had this thing about not getting too close . . . too comfortable. So regardless of how great things were and how much fun we’d be having, she would always go back to her room for a few nights after spending two nights with me.
After telling Ma I’d send Zoe her number so she could call her, I headed back out front. The pensive look on Zoe’s face concerned me. When I was sure Pam and Crystal could handle the few people that were in line, I made my way over to Zoe. She was standing by the windows, staring down at her phone. As she nibbled her bottom lip, she shoved her phone in her pocket just as I made my way to her.
“Everything alright?” I checked, though it was clear something about the call had shifted something within her.
“I’m not exactly sure,” she confessed honestly. With a sigh, she pulled her hair behind her ear. “That was Raymond, my ex. My boss.”
“Is this the first time you’ve heard from him since you left home?”
“Well, it’s the first time he’s called. He texted me a couple of times claiming to be checking on me, but as soon as I would tell him I was good, he’d ask me something about work. When I didn’t respond, I thought he’d gotten the hint. Since he was so adamant about me taking a damn break, I plan to take full advantage.”
“You have a week left, right?”
“Right.”
“Then what did he want?”
Sighing, she finally looked up at me. “I’m not sure, but I’m about to find out. He’s waiting for me at the diner so we can talk. I guess he got tired of not getting answers over text, so he wants to ask whatever he wants to ask face-to-face.”
Nah.
That was bullshit.
The man hadn’t come all this way just to ask her something about work without calling or emailing first. Even then, if her taking a four-week break was his idea, it didn’t make sense for him to be trying to make her work, unless the work was an excuse for something personal. I didn’t know the man, but I didn’t have to know him to peep his game. He probably was surprised by how easily Zoe had called off their engagement and had finally gotten to a point where he wanted to apologize and try to work things out. There was no doubt in my mind this work bullshit was his way of striking up conversation long enough to talk about their relationship.
“Do you want me to go with you?” I offered.
Her smile was soft as she took my hand into hers. “I can handle it, and you don’t have to worry about me. I’m gonna go see what the hell he wants so I can get rid of him and enjoy the last full week of my break.”
“Have you decided if you’re gonna work virtually here or go back to The Hills?”
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Can we talk about it after I see what he wants?”
“Of course. Handle your business.”
She stood on the tips of her toes, and I lowered myself to give her a kiss. As I watched her leave, I had to keep myself from following her. I knew she could handle herself, but a possessive, territorial part of me wanted to go just to make sure that niggaknew two things: One, she was on vacation, and two, she had a new man.
